ICT

Highlight: Key Past and Actual Public Funding EffortsNSF Grants

- The U. Utah aims to establish a materials platform through Majorana fermions

towards the development of practical topological quantum computing in order to avoid

decoherence +info

- Univ of Southern California (USC) investigates ways to overcome decoherence so

that fewer physical resources are needed to implement error-correcting protocols, to

allow significant quantum computations to be done on smaller devices.+ info

EC Grants

- In this sense, the Autonomous Univ. of Madrid (UAM) is exploring a topological

superconductor of Majorana fermion quasiparticles, which promises to open new

avenues towards decoherence-robust topological quantum computing.+ info

- The Univ. of Oxford is investigating the use of symmetry to prevent single-photon

decay while allowing two-photon and four-photon decay events, to provide a rich

physics to explore more complex quantum phenomena like entanglement stabilization

and the generation of decoherence-free subspaces. +info

ParityQC: Parity Constraints as a Quantum Computing Toolbox - FWF START program

(Austria). Study novel schemes for quantum computing based on parity variables and

constraints. +info

A new DARPA’s RFI on #QuantumComputing asks what new capabilities might enable for

understanding complex physical systems, improving AI & ML, and enhancing distributed

sensing +info

The face of promising research: Ronald de

Wolf, Sr Researcher at Centrum Wiskunde

& Informatica and a Prof. at the Institute for

Logic, Language and Computation of the

Uni. of Amsterdam. +info

David Deutsch, visiting prof. in the Centre

for Quantum Computation in the Clarendon

Laboratory of the University of Oxford. +info

CHALLENGE: Decoherence, caused by vibrations, temperature

fluctuations, electromagnetic waves and other interactions,

ultimately destroys the exotic quantum properties of the computer.

No existing hardware platform can maintain coherence and

provide the robust error correction required for large-scale

computation. A breakthrough is probably several years away. +

info

Futuristic Scenarios

Q-CTRL was founded in 2017 by Michael Biercuk, a professor of Quantum

Physics & Quantum Techn at the Univ. of Sydney and a chief investigator in the

Australian Research Council CoE for Engineered Quantum Systems, and PhD

in physics from Harvard. Q-CTRL raised $15M to work on

providing a set of tools that runs on quantum machines,

visualises noise and decoherence and then deploys

controls to “defeat” those errors . +info

An Artificial Neuron Implemented on an Actual

Quantum Processor +info

Source pic: Techcrunch

ADDITIONAL GOAL: Improving machine learning by leveraging a

hybrid quantum/classical computing approach to decrease the time

required to train machine learning models.

Skolkovo IST +info Univ. Sevilla +info

Jacob Biamonte Lucas Lamata

Limits of Quantum

Computing: Decoherence

and machine learning

Given the current pervasiveness of decoherence and other errors,

contemporary quantum computers are unlikely to return correct

answers for programs of even modest execution time.

Number of records in Quantum Computing Decoherence [1]

Public Funding awarded to in Quantum Computing Decoherence since 2010 [1]

[1] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/decoherence

To advance development of quantum processors and achieve quantum supremacy,

companies like Microsoft, Google, or IBM are active organizations researching how

to maintain coherence or develop algorithms that take into account decoherence.

Number of records in Quantum Computing Machine Learning [1]

Number of grants in Quantum Computing Machine Learning [2]

[1] Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/Linknovate_QCML

[2] Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/Linknovate_GrantsQCML

GOOGLE’S QUANTUM

PROCESSOR

The Bristlecone’s gate-

based superconducting

system provides a testbed

for research into system

error rates and scalability of

Google’s qubit technology,

as well as applications in

quantum simulation,

optimization, and machine

learning. +info

Highlighted companies: IBM worked

with Raytheon BBN in 2017 to

perform certain black box machine

learning tasks more efficiently;

There are also the solutions of

Rigetti, D-Wave (Quadrant.ai) and

Alibaba. In the context of chemistry,

firms such as Volkswagen, Daimler

and Google stand out.

Social graph (grants): ETH Zurich in the center of 3 biggest networks [2]

Highlights: Public Funding is on fire

One of EU H2020 flagships: HUMAN BRAIN is related +info

FET call (PROACT-02) launched in 2018 by EC to support this community

DARPA SyNAPSE Project in 2013-15, an attempt to build a new kind of computer

with similar form and function to the mammalian brain. Such artificial brains would

be used to build robots whose intelligence matches that of mice and cats. +info

Effort is continued by AFRL world’s largest neuromorphic digital synaptic

supercomputer, using IBM’s TrueNorth tech in 2018 +info

New DARPA solicitation for Microscale Biomimetic Robust AI Networks (Micro-

BRAIN) project in 2019 +info

Evolution of very small flying insects to improve AI:

• Reduced training times

• Improved computational efficiency

• Low power consumption

The face of promising research: U Machester

(UK) SpiNNaker project +info

Alexander Serb, Steve Furber

vv Other leading research org in EU: ETH Zurich (HC),

CEA (FR)

Important participation of industry: Intel, Brainchip, IBM

(TrueNorth) ,Qualcomm, Samsung, HP, SK Hynix

Research out of EU: U Michigan, Stanford U, U

Pittsburgh, MIT (Brain-on-chip) hardware

Futuristic Scenarios

Cybernetic fuse with AIs

Acquisition of “super powers”: mimics of the animal

kingdom (low power, reduced learning), and seamless

integration with machines (ubiquitous communication,

“telepathy”, AR, “back up of memories”, and other

perceived super powers).

GOAL: Converting ultra-high performance, low-power neuro-inspired

systems into a reality. When energy is more important than complexity.

Neuromorphic Computing

& Biomimetic AI

Hardware seems to be the subcategory inside Neuromorphic

Computing poised for disruption and with higher impact. It’s

experiencing a bigger growth than the field in general.

Number of records in Neuromorphic Computing [1]

Number of records in Neuromorphic Computing Hardware [2]

[1] Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/linknovate_neurom

[2] Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/neurom_hardware

[3] Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/neurom_grants

DARPA Biomimetic

AI DARPA Thinks Insect Brains Might Hold the

Secret to Next-Gen AI +info

Intel, South Korean SK Hynix, IBM, Brainchip (US-AU based exclusively

dedicated company to neuromorphic computing) and other companies seem to

lead the activitiy in the field. In public funding IBM and U Zürich, U Manchester

(highlighted in front page), French CEA, and Italian CNR have attracted the

most grants.

<<NC could give unmanned aircraft or robotic ground systems a more refined

perception of the environment (…) Heavy batteries to power mobile devices,

sensors, radios and other electronic equipment. Air vehicles also have very

limited power budgets due to the impact of weight. >>

Gill Pratt, DARPA program manager

Most active organisations in Neuromorphic Computing [1]

Most active organisations in Neuromorphic Computing in terms of EU public funding [3]

Highlights: A costly neeed unsolved for decades

Harvard Business Review found that less than half of structured data is used

in decision making, and less than 1% of unstructured data is used in any

way, in IoT. Behind this underutilization of IoT data is a lack of

interoperability between systems.

In USA is estimated well over $26B of taxpayers’ money has been spent

since 2009 inducing hospitals and physicians to install electronic health

records (EHRs), many champions of the effort are dismayed that the EHRs

are not interoperable.

In 2017, EC sky-rocketed public funding to around 150M€ to directly or

indirectly tackle interoperability in IoT. In 2019 this number can be surpassed

with over 84M€ YTD.

The need for a solution for the siloed datasets that have built up at many

facilities.

Self-evolving intelligent algorithms are part of the new wave to aim one step

beyond.

The face of promising research: Damminda

Alahakoon, Professor in Business Analytics

at La Trobe University +info

There are already examples of big public

efforts, such as Big IoT EU project

coordinated by Siemens, with all roles of

an IoT ecosystem. +info

Futuristic Scenarios

Self-evolving intelligent algorithms for facilitating data interoperability

in IoT environments. +info

A big problem with no convincing technological solution found to

date. Interoperability is a big issue in most software and process

integrations… it is poised to be an even bigger problem with the

advent of IoT.

New approaches to

data interoperability

in IoT

Number of records in Interoperability in IOT (Grants) [1]

Public Funding evolution in Interoperability in IOT (Grants) [1]

[1]Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/Interoperability_grants

[2] Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/Interoperability_IoT

A Hypercat-enabled Semantic IoT Data Hub

An ontology that captures the semantics of the

imported data and present the BT SPARQL

Endpoint by means of a mapping between

SPARQL and SQL queries . +info

It is surprising to see USA below in terms of academic activity of most EU countries.

This changes when the industry (specialized news and patents are included in the

mix), but not for (primarily) forward-thinking references.

Most active organisations in Interoperability in IoT [2]

Top 10 Country breakdown [2]

Apart from manufacturers of so-called low-cost, interoperable IoT networks, the more

“future-oriented” work by the French CEA and Siemens AG, mainly via EU projects is

meritorious.

+info

Public Funding taking off

DARPA has been considering this an important line of work. Latest update,

Jan 2019. +info

EC has been funded related research for assurance of UAS and safe autonomous

systems as early as 2011, with the key participation of AIRBUS in ENABLE S3

(64M€ in 2016), EC-SAFEMOBIL (6M€, 2011) and more recently in SAS - Safe

Autonomous Systems (4M€, 2018), a big consortium with CNRS, Fraunhofer,

Stichting, Jaguar, Bosch and Lloyd’s Register. +info

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in UK has a

grant programme focused on deliver the step changes in Robotics and

Autonomous Systems (RAS) capability that are necessary to overcome crucial

challenges facing the nuclear industry in the coming decades +info and also a

grant to deliver a step change in the understanding and predictability of next

generation cooling systems +info

The face of promising research: Rogério de

Lemos, School of Computing, Univ. of Kent +

info; Ladan Tahvildari, professor Univ. Waterloo

+ info, and Sandeep Neema, program manager

at DARPA + info.

Other leading research org in EU:

Daniel Schneider in Fraunhofer IESE and active

teams (EU projects) in Fraunhofer ESK and IGD

GOAL: The goal of the Assured Autonomy field is to create

technology for continual assurance of Learning-Enabled, Cyber

Physical Systems and Autonomous Systems in general.

Futuristic Scenarios

Developments in self-adaptive assurance for autonomous

systems are setting the foundations for future UAS and

swarm robotics . +info

Adaptive Assurance of

autonomous systemsThe number of documents in this field has grown, especially

recently.

Also the number of grants awarded year-to-date.

Number of records in Adaptive Assurance of Autonomous Systems [1]

Number of grants in Adaptive Assurance of Autonomous Systems [2]

[1]Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/LNK_AdaptiveAssurance

[2] Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/AdaptiveAssurance_grants

Even though the niche topic of defense-grade readiness of assurance in autonomous systems is a new emerging concept, public funding has been channeled to the foundations of the topic in related categories such as:• Safe Autonomous Systems Operations in aerospace: adaptive trajectory-based

operations, autonomous tugs, close parallel runways, dynamic separation assurance• Contextual Anomaly Management Interface (CAMI) for Autonomous Systems• Bias and Trust in AI systems (trust-onomy)• Human/Autonomous-system interaction and collaboration• Testing robustness in UAS.

Most active organisations in Adaptive Assurance of Autonomous Systems [1]

Active key-players in terms of public funding (grants): [2]

Public Funding

Dial-a-Molecule network (established in 2010 as one of EPSRC’s “Physical

Science Grand Challenges”).Funding on molecular robotics. +info

Organic synthesis in a modular robotic system driven by a chemical programming

language lead by Univ Glasgow, it is a new emerging field in a neighbouring field

to 3D printing molecules and reactionware, and molecular robots.+info

The face of promising research:

Lee Cronin, professor of Chemistry at Univ.

of Glasgow, and Mimi Hii, professor of

Chemistry at Imperial College London and

co-leader of the Dial-a-Molecule Network

Other leading research:

BAE Systems (look for a sentence to say,

very brief) and Imperial College in

LondonAll collaborators of “central node”

Univ Glasgow’s Cronin Lab.

Futuristic Scenarios

A radical new machine, Chemputer, could enable

advanced chemical processes to grow aircraft and

some of their complex electronic systems, conceivably

from a molecular level upwards, according to BAE

Systems research. Promises app-controlled revolution

for drug production. +info

It is machines (microreactors, actually) for making specific drugs that

are printed, not the drugs themselves.

Chemputing and 3D

Printing reactionware3d printing reactionware or 3d printing in chemical synthesis are

niche topics, but broader than chemputing which is clearly led by an

academic institution and a nascent topic.

3D PRINTING REACTIONWARE AND

MOLECULES

“All it requires is a $2,000 3D printer and a drug

specification (the manufacturing processes

required to produce it)”.

Public funding shows UK (legend showed as “national”) is ahead and leading the

topic also in this broader sense (not limited to Chemputing specifically.

Most active organisations in 3D Printing Reactionware

Evolution of Public Funding

Highlights: Public Policy in the spotlight

In April of 2019, the High-Level Expert Group on AI from the EC presented Ethics

Guidelines for Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence, a set of 7 key requirements that AI

systems should meet in order to be deemed trustworthy. +info

The EC has funded several projects that explore the responsible development of AI:

- HUMANE AI will develop the scientific foundations and technological

breakthroughs to shape the ongoing AI revolution in a way that enhancen human

capabilities and empowers both individuals and society as a whole. +info

- SHERPA Project will investigate, analyse and synthesise understanding of ways

in which smart information systems impact ethics and human rights issues. +info

- AI4EU project will establish a Ethical Observatory will to ensure the respect of

human centred AI values and European regulations. +info

- PAPAYA will develop a platform for privacy preserving data analytics that will

consider compliance with the GDPR as a key enabler to minimize the privacy

risks while increasing trust in third-party data processors. +info

- The SODA project will enable practical privacy-preserving analytics of information

from multiple data assets using multi-party computation techniques. For this data

does not need to be shared, only made available for encrypted processing. +info

- PROMETHEUS project enables users privacy in the post-quantum world by

providing a toolbox of quantum-secure cryptographic techniques adapted to

modern services. It will provide new building blocks in relation with international

competitions and standardisation processes. +info

The Georgia Institute of Technology has received a grant from the NSF to carry out

the Privacy Project, which is developing algorithms, systems and tools that provide

end-to-end privacy guarantees over the life cycle of a data analytic job. The ultimate

goal is to develop a methodical framework and a suite of techniques for ensuring

distributed computations to meet the desired privacy requirements of input data, as

well as protecting against disclosure of sensitive patterns during execution and in the

final output of the computation. +info

The face of promising research: Virginia Dignum,

prof. of social and ethical AI at Uni. of Umea. +info

Yoshua Bengio, scientific director of the Montreal

Institute for Learning Algorithms (MILA). +info

Trustworthy AI should be lawful, respecting all applicable

laws and regulations, ethical, respecting ethical principles

and values, and robust, both from a technical perspective

while taking into account its social environment.

Futuristic Scenarios

OpenAI will allow creating new AI technologies and deliver

on the promise of artificial general intelligence. +info

Privacy-enhancing technologies and trust-first business

models promise to unleash the next wave of tech

Innovation, according to the WEF. +info

Anonymized data offers privacy, reduces the risk of data

breaches, and lets enterprises ethically derive insights and

profit from personal data. Anonymous analytics offers the

advantages of analytics over data usage without the drawback

(privacy loss, security, and others). Approaches are expected

to go beyond k-anonymity and privacy by design current lines.

Bhavani Thuraisingham, Director of the Cyber

Security Research and Education Institute at the

University of Texas at Dallas +info

Shouling Ji, Zhejiang University & Gatech, and

Weiqing Li and Raheem Beyah also in Gatech +info

Ethically

trustworthy AI &

Anonymous

analyticsActivity in the topic has skyrocketed since 2018.

Number of records in Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence [1]

Public Funding awarded to in Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence since 2010 [1]

[1] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/trustworthyartificial

Most active countries in Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence [1]

Number of records in Anonymous Analytics [1]

Public Funding awarded to in Anonymous Analytics since 2010 [1]

[1] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/AnonymousAnalytics

Most active countries in Anonymous Analytics [1]

Although 63% of the organizations

active in Anonymous Analytics belong

to Academia (are Universities and

Research Centers), top 10

organizations are mainly telecom

corporations that are looking into

making the most of their users’ data

while complying with maintaining users’

anonymity.

Highlights

The Uni. of Leeds has received €6.60M for a Terabit Bidirectional Multi-user Optical

Wireless System (TOWS) for 6G LiFi. It will provide a technically logical pathway to

ensure that wireless systems are future-proof and that they can deliver the

capacities that future data intensive services will demand. +info

The NSF has granted $0.9M to Carnegie Mellon Uni. to develop a first-of-its-kind

mmWave multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) capable network testbed comprising

base stations and mobile user modules spanning indoor and outdoor spaces. +info

For its part, the EC has granted several projects on the topic, standing out:

• WAVECOMBE Project (2.88M€) is a research approach that combines the three

disruptive key enabling technologies for 5G/B5G with the aim to answer

fundamental questions that are still not well understood. +info

The face of promising research:

Mischa Dohler, Prof. in Wireless Communications

at King’s College London. +info

Jaafar Elmirghani, Prof. of Communication

Networks and Systems at the Uni. of Leeds. +info

5G will likely be the last G in the form as we know it, since

telecoms (and, specifically, the 3GPP) architecture is being

atomized.

Futuristic Scenarios

With ambitions to accelerate the joint development between the EU and the US on

EMPOWER Project (2M€) advanced wireless platforms targeting the new connectivity

frontiers beyond 5G. It will provide instruments for inducing collaboration between

ongoing and forthcoming 5G and beyond initiatives targeting at wireless networks

experimentation on both ends of the Atlantic. +info

Source: Project Empower (H2020) under GA No 824994

Beyond 5G

hardwareBeyond 5G activity has skyrocketed in 2019, mostly due to the

appearance of the topic in the (digital) media.

Number of records in Beyond 5G [1]

Public funding awarded to Beyond 5G (since 2010) [1]

[1] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/zeropower

Top active organizations in Beyond 5G [1]

Most active countries in Beyond 5G [1]

Telecoms and universities are collaborating together for the advancement of this

technology.

ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY,

CLIMATE CHANGE

Highlights: Public Funding analysis, key to understand the field

The Open+ program in Arpa-E will grant a total $98M in 40 projects in different

fields. The “data-driven grid” cohort, with 4 projects and $12M, has already been

awarded.

Industrial activity leaders in the field have a more applied perspective, with

developments in industrial IoT and IIoT Edge to cloud ML. When it comes to

public funding, Purdue Univ, State Univ of NY at Buffalo, and Univ. Bath have

attracted the most number of grants, in more FET-like areas such as distributed

optimization algorithms and distributed fog computing.

Swiss funded by future-thinking program “NCCR Digital Fabrication” by agency

SNSF. Through a multidisciplinary approach a partnership is created to establish

digital technology as an essential part of future building processes. Switzerland

program considers the benefits of digital construction evident:

- efficient use of production resources

- material-specific concepts and durability, thanks to the seamless integration of

design and fabrication

Social Need: The demand for air conditioning in homes and work spaces is

increasing. New and more efficient cooling methods are needed to reduce building

energy consumption and environmental impact.

The face of promising research: Gesualdo

Scutari, Assoc Prof in Purdue School of

Engineering +info Zhenyu Huang, from the

Advanced Grid Analytics portfolio at Pacific

Northwest National Lab +info

Futuristic Scenarios

ML data-driven solutions will unlock penetration and compromise testing on

each pipeline. Applications may aim cyber-security resilience, and

developing simpler and more secure “Grid Data Exchanges” for sharing

cyber-sensitive electric grid operations data, such as the work by GridBright

supported by Arpa-E +info

After receiving a $3M federal grant from ARPA-E in 2015, a team at the

Univ. of Colorado Boulder developed a new metamaterial film that provides

cooling without needing a

power input. Made

out of glass microspheres, polymer and silver, the material uses passive

radiative cooling to

dissipate heat from the

object it covers.

Optimization and control methods to increase grid flexibility, reliability,

and resilience while substantially reducing system costs and barriers to

fully integrated emerging technologies.

Although the net zero concept is applicable to a wide range of resources such

as energy, water and waste, energy is usually the first resource to be targeted:

- highly insulating spray-foam insulation, high-efficiency solar panels, high-

efficiency heat pumps, highly insulating low-E triple-glazed windows.

Zero-energy buildings (ZENB) is usually tied to smart grid and concepts such as

integration of renewable energy resources, integration of plug-in electric

vehicles (vehicle-to-grid), and implementation of zero-energy concepts.

Igor Sartori, SINTEF (Norway), Senior Researcher in

Architectural Engineering +info

Xiaobo Yin (USA), Prof. at CU Boulder’s +info

Arild Gustavsen, Director of Research Centre on Zero

Emission Neighbourhoods (ZEN) in Smart Cities ´info

The number of documents in this field has grown especially since

2018 and is expected to continue increasing.

EC has been very active in the space, although with a more short-

term obstacle-solving approach for cost reduction and viability for

NZEB, not so much for radically new technologies.

Number of records in Machine Learning applied to Smart Grids [1]

Deep reinforcement and Deep reinforcement learning references over time. [2]

[1]Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/SmartGrid_ML

[2] Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/SmartGrid_DL

Google’s research in collaboration with Columbia University focuses on optimizing NY’s city power grid

with ML applied to predictive maintenance. As fir Purdue University, the organization with more grants on

the topic, they are focusing on real-time prediction of the system behavior and on fog computing.

Number of records in Net-Zero Buildings

Public Funding awarded in self-healing and self-healing batteries (grants) [1]

[1]Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/netzerobuils

Arpa E even funded projects aiming at

NZEB from completely different angles:

- Cornell University – $3M.

Thermoregulatory Clothing System for

Building Energy Saving -- tailoring the

thermal environment around the individual.

- AlsoCornell University – $1,5M. Indoor

Occupant Counting Based on RF

Backscattering. An occupant monitoring

system, combination of "active" radio

frequency identification (RFID) readers

and "passive" tags. Instead of requiring

occupants to wear tags, the tags, as

coordinated landmarks. The system will

employ efficient biomechanical models and

inverse imaging algorithms to estimate the

size, posture, and motion of the collected

geometry and distinguish people from

furniture and pets. Occupancy data is then

sent to the building control system.

Multinationals present in the HVAC field interfacing with “smart buildings” such as Schneider Electric,

Siemens, Johnsons Control, Daikin and GE appear at the top of specialized news activity. However a

closer look filtering out “market research reports” shows the following ranking:

Some of the most relevant grants and projects in the field are the ones funded by Arpa-E agency (DOE,

USA) in the last 5-10 years:

- 3M Company (St. Paul, MN). Passive Radiative Cooling Film – $2,8M. 3M develops a film that passively

radiates heat away from a building’s surface for cooling. Using a unique, weather resistant polymer

composition. This film builds upon radiative cooling. Tech developed in prior ARPA-E awards to Stanford

Univ. and SkyCool Systems.

- MIT (Cambridge, MA). CARBONHOUSE: Towards a Carbon Ontology - Ultra Low Footprint Buildings

Using Gas-Pyrolysis Hydrocarbons – $3,7M. Polymeric composites are an alternative material. The

project looks to use hydrocarbon-derived composites to create minimal footprint habitation.

Highlights:

ARPA-E will award $5,2 M in funding for 3 projects in Energy-Water

Technologies that will develop new energy-efficient processing technologies

for industrial (particularly oil and gas) and municipal wastewater. +info

Achieving cost-efficient energy-positive models by:

- The use of bacterial processes and advanced control solutions

- The use of industrial waste heat to extract clean water from wastewater

- Eutectic freeze crystallization to separate salts from contaminated water

(more pre-FET)

The face of promising research: Jules Van

Lier, Prof. at Delft University of Technology

+info

Mark van Loosdrecht, Prof. at Delft University

of Technology +info

Other leading research org in EU:

Mark van Loosdrecht has been named the 2018

Stockholm Water Prize Laureates for

revolutionizing water and wastewater treatment

with Bruce Rittmann. +info

Futuristic Scenarios

Eutectic Freeze Crystallization

Huge amounts of valuable industrial aqueous streams

that are currently too energy intensive to be treated,

could be commercially decomposed into valuable

materials when using Eutectic Freeze Crystallization

(EFC) technology. The separation burden will be

changed into a blessing by producing raw materials

from waste streams by spending less energy. +info

These technologies include, but are not limited to: anaerobic

treatment, high-rate activated sludge units, chemically enhanced

primary treatment, aerobic granular sludge systems, shortcut

nitrogen removal processes, waste heat recovery, and eutectic

freeze crystallization.

Energy efficient

Water Treatments

Number of records in Energy-Water Treatment [1]

Public Funding awarded to Energy-Water Treatment since 2010 [1]

[1]Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/EntergyWater

[2] Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/EWT_bacterial

[3] Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/EWT_WasteHeat

Academia leads the activity in bacterial and autotrophic processes for energy-

efficient wastewater treatments, while companies are the ones leading the waste-

heat recovery processes.

Most active organizations in Energy-Water Treatments with bacterial processes [2]

Most active organizations in Energy-Water Treatments with waste heat [3]

Major developments in the Netherlands

WitteveenBos, Eliquo and Topec are dutch

companies that are applying energy-water

technologies for wastewater treatment towards a

circular economy.

As for the academic side, TU Delft has set up

The Water Management Department to improve

the urban water cycle and make the most of

water resources.

Public Funding

The scandinavian Top-level Research Initiative (TRI), set two programs

(back in mid 2010s) to explore arctic climate change that altogether fund six

Nordic Centers of Excellence (NCoE). Each of them focuses on a specific

challenge, like the preservation of the tundra, nordic marine ecosystems,

and the arctic land ice; or the study of cyosphere-atmsophere interactions.

+info

The University of Lapland has received € 0,92M from the Academy of Finland to

study both historical sites as a tool for predicting long-term ecosystem change

and the impact of southern ocean interactions on marine ice sheet stability. +info

The EC has recently funded ARCTICO (€95K) and APPLICATE (€8,72M)

Projects to understand the magnitude of arctic climate change and to enhance

arctic climate change weather predictions.

The face of promising research:

Bruce Forbes, Prof. of Global Change at the

University of Lapland +info

Thomas Jung, Climate Sciences Prof. at Alfred

Wegener Institute +info

Other promising initiatives:

There’s a plethora of environmentalist groups like

WWF taking action to study, control, and raise

awareness on arctic climate change. +info

Futuristic Scenarios

Build walls on seafloor to stop glaciers melting

Building walls on the seafloor may become the next frontier of

climate science, as engineers seek novel ways to hold back

the sea level rises predicted to result from global warming.

+info

GOAL: Addresses fundamental questions on the origin, maintenance,

conservation and future of life and biological diversity on Earth.

Arctic Climate ChangeThe number of documents in this field has dramatically increased in

2018, and is expected to continue growing in 2019.

When it comes to public funding, the EC has funded only 5 projects

since 2010, but for a total amount of €24M. Contrarily, the USA has

funded 53 projects for $20.5M.

Number of records in Arctic Climate Change [1]

Public Funding awarded to Arctic Climate Change since 2010 [1]

[1]Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/ArticClimateChange

[2] Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/ArticClimateChange_grants

Most active organizations researching Arctic Climate Change also are the ones

obtaining more public funding. It is an eminently academic topic since, out of the top

10 organizations in both rankings, 6 are Universities and 4 are Research Institutes.

Most active organizations in Arctic Climate Change[1]

Active key-players in terms of public funding (grants) [2]

Stopping the flood: could we use targeted

geoengineering to mitigate sea level rise?

The Marine Ice Sheet Instability (MISI) is a dynamic

feedback that can cause an ice sheet to enter a

runaway collapse. Thwaites Glacier (West Antarctica)

is projected to be the largest individual source of

future sea level rise and may have already entered

MISI. A suite of coupled quasi-2-D ice–ocean

simulations are researched to explore whether

targeted geoengineering could counter a collapse. +

info

Highlights: Potential gigantic impact in farming and agriculture

Agriculture, forestry, and other land uses emit 24% of greenhouse gases

globally +info

1 ha of algae ponds can generate 27 times as much protein as 1 ha of

soybeans.

Algae thrive in dry, warm areas not-suitable for conventional agriculture.

U.S. DoE has awarded Duke Uni. $5,2M to lead Marine Algae

Industrialization Consortium (MAGIC), including the University of Hawaii at

Hulu, Cornell University, Cellana and others to devise a negative-emissions

technology (ABECCS - algae bioenergy with carbon capture and storage)

that produces electricity and provides protein while simultaneously removing

carbon dioxide from Earth’s atmosphere and reducing deforestation. +info

Pond Technologies develops algae bioreactors for factories that grow algae

that remove CO2 emissions and transform them into food products

(spirulina) +info

The face of promising research:

Thomas Brück, Synthetic Biotech Prof. at TU

Munich +info

Zackary Johnson, Associate Prof. of Molecular

Biology in Marine Science at Duke University +info

Other promising research:

GEOTRACES project investigates how nutrients

and carbon move around the oceans and how they

impact biological production. They have teamed up

with PAGES project, to research how Earth and the

oceans have responded to past climate change.

Futuristic Scenarios

TU Munich has developed a process in which the grow

algae to produce algae oil, and then turn it into carbon

fibers. +info

Growing algae farms with CO2 captured from factories’ emissions and

the atmosphere. Resulting algae will serve as an alternative source of

protein for humans and animals, and/or biofuel. All with a

“byproduct””: reducing crops lands, deforestation, and CO2

emissions.

Algae Against Climate

ChangeAlthough R&D using algae for combating Climate Change has

dramatically increased in the last two years, the same trend is not

mirrored in public funding open calls and projects.

Number of records in Algae Against Climate Change

Public Funding awarded to Algae Against Climate Change

Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/AlgaeClimateChange

Most active organizations and research focus on growing algae ponds to produce

biofuels. Recent trends explore turning algae into an alternative source of protein

(spirulina) or materials (carbon fiber).

Most active organizations in Algae Against Climate Change

Innovation trends and subtopics in Algae Against Climate Change

Harmful Algal Blooms: Red & Brown Tides

Eutrophication (overabundance of nutrients in water) can fuel the

excessive growth of phytoplankton and algae. Harmful algal

blooms can kill fish, marine mammals and seabirds and harm

humans. And when the algae and other organisms that had been

allowed to bloom because of the nutrient excess eventually die

off, bacteria may suck up all the oxygen from the water as the

algae decompose.

This hypoxia creates a “dead zone” where fish cannot live.

More than 400 areas around the world have been identified as

experiencing eutrophication and 169 are hypoxic. + info

The NSF takes the lead

It has granted $0,9M for DEUS Collaborative Research, which aims to develop

a cyber interconnection scheme that enables data delivery from underwater

sensors to the surface station with autonomous underwater vehicles and

advanced magnetic-induction antenna design. +info

$400K to PFI project for enabling reliable wireless communications. It aims to

increasing information data rates by an order of magnitude over existing

technologies, and $400K to a FET-like research that will develop distributed electro-

mechanical transmitters for wireless communications in radio frequency denied

environments. It will lay the first theoretical groundwork for the precise control of

networked high-speed machines.

In the UK, Durham University and the National Oceanography Center have received

$656K to design and test a new generation of low-cost smart sensors, which return

data without expensive surface vessels; via pop-up floats and satellite links. +info

Not only around the communication principles and challenges in order to wirelessly

read out passive sensors at long distances (which is short-term research and a

industrial concern), from hundreds of meters to kilometers.

Special attention to zero-power sensors applied to Agriculture, where high energy

efficiency to passively monitor plants, water and crops are needed, particularly in

rural areas (off-grid). +info

The face of promising research:

Yahong Rosa Zheng, Electrical and Computer Engineering Prof.

at Lehigh University +info

Paolo Casari, Research Assistant Prof at IMDEA Networks +info

Futuristic Scenarios

Smart dust for large-scale underwater wireless sensing

Underwater smartdust technology will transform underwater

sensor networks to allow

long term monitoring with

high spatial resolution,

frequent updates and near

real-time data delivery. +info

How to investigate the vastly unexplored oceans?

Researchers aim to build a submerged network of

interconnected sensors that send data to the surface — an

underwater ‘IoT’. +info

It is now very easy to get vast amounts of data from one side of an

ocean to another; but it is hard to get even modest amounts of data out

from the ocean itself. A new infrastructure is needed to enable sensors

at sea to transfer their data back to land.

GOAL: Billions of new devices are expected to come online, following

the “connect everything” mantra, to make our environments smarter and

more efficient. 5G and Battery technology make these devices rely on

power challenges that need to be overcome.

Lines involve sensors for RF-energy harvesting, micromechanical

photoswitches, acoustically powered underwater devices, opportunistic

energy scavenging, and other characteristics.

Zhenyun Qian, and Cristian Cassella in Northeastern

Univ, USA +info

Emanuel M. Popovici, Univ. College Cork, Ireland

+info Sangkil Kim, Pusan Univ, South Korea +info

Number of records in Ocean Wiring and Sensing [1]

Public Funding for Ocean Wiring and Sensing [1]

[1]Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/OceanWiring

[2] Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/Linknovate_GrantsQCML

Top active organizations in the activity ranking are (surprisingly) companies, such as

Infinera, Seabed Geosolutions and OceanPowerTech, with patents and specialised

news appearance. Nonetheless the organisations attracting the most public funding

are Universities from the United States, the French CEA and the Norwegian NUST.

References have grown considerably over 2019 in zero power sensors

applied to agritech and smart farming.

Number of records in Zero Power Sensors [1]

Number of records in Zero-Power Battery [2]

[1] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/zeropower

[2] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/zeropowerbattery

[3] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/zeropowerbatterygrant

Excluding projects and grants in ultra low power sensor network (works range 2008-

2015), with projects like and SYNCSEN and DEMOSYNCSEN +info, and more

recently ULISSES (3,83M€, 2019, +info).

Arpa-E (2019): Zero-Power

Wireless Infrared Digitizing

Sensors for Large Scale Energy-

Smart Farm ($1,63M).

Northeastern University will

develop a maintenance-free

sensor network to improve energy

and agricultural efficiency by

monitoring water content in plants.

Sensors will monitor water stress-

related plant characteristics,

relaying these data wirelessly to a

control center in the irrigation

system. It will eliminate the cost of

battery replacement. + info

Highlights:

MIT’s Jarillo-Herrero team has turned graphene into a superconductor by

placing one sheet of graphene over another and rotating the other sheet to a

special orientation, a twist that changes the bilayer’s properties. +info

In EC funded TWISTM, the Free University of Berlin and Columbia University

will join to unravel the most fundamental properties of unexplored graphene-

and transition metal dichalcogenide-based bilayers arising from many-body

interactions. +info

The Imperial College has received a research grant from EPSRC to develop a

method to calculate phase diagrams of twisted bilayer materials as a function

of doping, temperature and twist angle. The aim is to guide experimental

efforts in the direction of the most promising candidate systems. +info

The face of promising research:

Mikhail Eremets, Prof. at the Max Planck Institute for

Chemistry +info

Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, Prof of Physics at the MIT

+info

Andrew Mackenzie, Director of Physics at the Max

Planck Institute +info.

Other promising research:

University of Glasgow’s Bendable Electronics and

Sensing Technologies (BEST) group is targeting

the mega industries of video screens and health

devices with its new research, which has

managed to affordably “print” high-mobility

semiconductor nanowires onto flexible surfaces

to develop high-performance ultrathin electronic

layers. +info

GOAL: If it could be achieved, so-called room-temperature

superconductivity, above 0 degrees Celsius, would revolutionise

electrical efficiency, vastly improving power grids, high-speed data

transfer, and electrical motors, to name a few potential applications. Futuristic Scenarios

High-Temperature Superconductors could be used to

levitate trains and produce astonishing accelerations, also

in power plants, replacing conventional methods which

spin turbines in magnetic fields to generate electricity; and

in quantum computers as the two-level system required

for a “qubit,” in which the zeros and ones are replaced by

current flowing clockwise or counterclockwise in a

superconductor. +info

High Temperature

Superconductivity &

Twist ElectronicsWhen it comes to funding invested in the technology (both public

and private), the US takes the lead.

Number of records in Twisted electronics [1]

Public Funding awarded to Twisted Electronics since 2010 [1]

[1]Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/twistedelectrons

[2] Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/HTSuperconductors

[3] Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/twistelectronsuni

USA universities are the most active in the field, monopolizing 17 out of 20 positions

in the rankings. The remaining three are british organizations.

Most active universities in High-Temperature Superconductors [2]

Most active universities in Twisted Electronics [3]

Highlights: Public Funding

According to EC reports, Europe's position as a global leader in the

automotive market is being seriously challenged by the transition to electro-

mobility in which batteries are estimated to count for up to 40% of the value

of the car. The battery market is clearly strategic for Europe. It is an

industrial and economic opportunity, with the possible creation of 4-5 million

jobs. Today, it is dominated by Li-ion technology from Asia.

Batteries outlook for 2030 have sky-rocketed to $100B for Li-ion batteries alone,

and continuously being updated and corrected upwards. New approaches for

new more reliable, more durable batteries are a fertile land for disruptions. Self-

healing batteries belong to this land.

The face of promising research:

Dr. Donghee Son, Senior Research Scientist at

Korea Institute of Science and Technology +info

John W.F. To, from Stanford +info

Other promising research:

SLAC and Stanford University (Prof. Zhenan Bao,

Prof. Y. Cui), Univ. Tokyo (Prof. Atsuo Yamada), UC

San Diego and in the industry: GM, Robert Bosch

GmbH and Tata Technologies.

Futuristic Scenarios

Electronic skin devices capable of monitoring

physiological signals and displaying feedback

information through closed-loop communication

between the user and electronics are being considered

for next-gen wearables and IoT. Such devices need to

be ultrathin. Recently, self-healing chemistry has driven

important advances in deformable and reconfigurable

electronics, particularly with self-healable electrodes as

the key enabler. +info sources

GOAL: To develop ultra-performing, safe and sustainable

batteries which will be essential for electric vehicles and clean

mobility, renewable energy storage and a range of emerging

applications (including robotics, medical devices, aerospace and

many more).

Self-healing batteries

Funding activity mainly in US (peak of $12M in 2014) and UK in

2013 and 2017 (over $14M total at regional level) Grants at a

broader level, in “self-healing and self-repairing materials”, shows

bigger numbers, with EU in the mix.

Public Funding awarded in self-healing and self-healing batteries (grants) [1]

Evolution of Public Funding in self-healing batteries [1]

[1]Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/SelfHealingBatteries_grants

[2] Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/SelfHealingBattery

WOLVERINE-INSPIRED MATERIAL

Wolverine like materials (from X-Men), inspired

scientists to develop self-healing powers, and

highly stretchable conductive material that could

be electrically activated to power artificial muscles

and also improve batteries, electronic devices

and robots, such as the team at UC Riverside.

+info

Highlighted companies: Foundations in 2012 in Urbana Champaign and

Northwestern University (Chicago area Universities), around Autonomic restoration

of electrical conductivity

Most active organisations in Self-healing batteries[2]

Number of records in Self-healing batteries [2]

BIOTECHNOLOGY AND

HEALTH SCIENCES

Highlighted Grants

DARPA’s Next-Generation Nonsurgical Neurotechnology (N3) program

aims to develop high-performance, bi-directional brain-machine

interfaces for able-bodied service members. +info

EC-funded HERMES project aims to drive self-repair of dysfunctional

brain circuits by intelligent biohybrids, made by the symbiotic integration

of bioengineered brain tissue, neuromorphic microelectronics and

artificial intelligence. +info

The NSF has granted $1M to the University of California at San Diego to

develop and leverage new human-computer interface technology as a

learning coach and personal cognitive development assistant that

facilitates learning to read and other critical skills in cognitive

development. +info

SIENNA Project focuses on ethical and human rights challenges posed

by human genomics, human enhancement and human-machine

interaction technologies such as robots and smart devices. +info

The face of promising research:

Davide Valeriani, researcher at Harvard

University +info

Saskia Nagel, Prof. for applied ethics at

RWTH Aachen University. +info

GOAL: The effective use of information technology in augmenting

human intelligence and cognitive capabilities.

Futuristic Scenarios

Identified (as a broader topic) as one of Gartner key trends of the

future, human augmentation (in a broad sense). Here we explore a

more specific line which is cognitive capabilities augmentation,

primarily by AI and other means (bionics, etc). Michael Nielsen

discusses long-term augmented memory could be chieved even with

simple

programs like flash cards

(e.g. Anki).

+info

Source pic: Gartner

Other promising research:

Michael Nielsen from Ycomibinator research

arm, one of the most active and prestigious

startup accelerators in the world and Shan

Carter from Google Brain group. +info

Cognitive Augmentation

and Intelligence

AmplificationHardware seems to be the subcategory inside Neuromorphic Computing and

Cognitive Intelligence that represent the biggest challenege could have a higher

impact. Besides it’s experiencing a bigger growth than the field in general.

Number of records in Cognitive Augmentation [1]

Public Funding awarded to Cognitive Augmentation since 2010 [1]

Top active organizations in Cognitive Augmentation [1]

[1] Source Linknovate: http://bit.ly/cognitiveaugm

Most active countries in Cognitive Augmentation [1]

Securboration has received the two phases of NSF’s SBIR program to develop a

cognitive augmentation environment.

As for DIARISSIMA Corp., they have patented an augmented intelligence system.

Highlighted: a new market reality

By 2021, consultant firm Frost & Sullivan expects that AI systems will generate

$6.7 billion in revenue from healthcare alone. One area that ML is significantly

evolving is genomics.

The MIT has received $3M from ARPA-E to develop a process to directly convert

methane into a usable transportation fuel in a single step. +info

Several organizations have received SME Instrument funding in bioinformatics

projects. Emedgene technologies, for instance, has developed an ICT platform

for clinical interpretation of genomic data. +info

EPSRC has granted £4M to Newcastle University to develop “synthetic

portabolomics”, a set of academically and industrially useful organisms where the

plug-in points for the genetic circuit will be the same for each of the organisms,

allowing the genetic circuit to be moved from one organism to another with

changes. +info

The face of promising research:

David Jones, Head of the Bioinformatics Group at

University College of London. +info

Andrea Sottoriva, director of the Centre for Evolution and

Cancer at the Institute of Cancer Research +info

Natalio Krasnogor, prof. of Computing Science and

Synthetic Biology at Newcastle Uni. +info

Allows for making decisions about care, what an organism

might be susceptible to in the future, what mutations might

cause different diseases and how to prepare for the future.

Bioinformatics will help advanced gene sequencing but also

gene editing.

Other promising research:

CRISPR gene-editing technology allows

for removing or editing parts of DNA to

treat genetic disorders. CRISPR research

led by Osaka University researcher

Yoshizumi Ishino (since 1987) +info

Futuristic Scenarios

Designer babies

Cells extracted from embryos would tell us the likelihood of

specific traits and disease states. We will be able to predict

how a potential child will be realized as a human being. +info

Bioinformatics

and AI in ‘Omics’Activity in the topic has been steadily increasing over the

years. The trend is expected to peak in 2019.

Number of records in AI Bioinformatics [1]

Public Funding awarded to AI Bioinformatics since 2010 [1]

[1] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/AIBioinformatics

Mostly focused on applying machine learning technology to cancer treatment

research.

John’s Hopkins Uni. is exploring bioinformatics for skin cancer and melanoma and to

identify Mendelian disease genes.

Harvard also is one of the organizations with most published research in the area,

and is working on SNP genotyping, identifying lupus patients, and has created the

ProteinNET series of data sets to provide a standardized or training and assessing

data-driven models of protein sequence-structure relationships.

Most active organizations in AI Bioinformatics [1]

Highlights: Ethics concerns and technology define what is possible

Alliance for Regenerative Medicine released a 'Statement of Principles' on

gene editing, as controversy continues to rumble on. Gene editing

businesses agree to stay away from heritable changes +info

The University of Glasgow has received £3.6M to engineer growth factors

microenvironments for regenerative medicine +info

During the last 12 months, the EU has largely fund (some over €6M) research

projects that explore regenerative medicine to treat conditions like diabetes

(EYELETS), brain damage (HERMES), chronic back pain (OSTEOproSPINE).

FET project RESTORE aims to implement newly developed Advanced Therapies

in clinical routine to improve patients ́ outcome with high impact on Europe's

society and economy. +info

Tensive has received €2,7M from the EC to bring to the market

REGENERA, a mammary prosthesis for breast cancer patients that is

degraded over time and replaced by the patient's fat. +info

The face of promising research:

Manuel Salmeron-Sanchez, chair of Biomedical

Engineering at Glasgow University. +info

Núria Montserrat Pulido, Pluripotency for organ

regeneration Group Lead at the Institute of Bioeng. of

Catalonia. +info

Marianne Verhaar, Prof. of Experimental Nephrology

at the Regenerative Medicine Center Utrecht. +info

There are substantially three approaches: cell-based therapy, use

of engineered scaffolds and the implantation of scaffolds seeded

with cells.

Other promising research:

Antonios Mikos, Prof. at Rice Univ.

(USA), Andras Nagy, Senior Scientist at

Mount Sinai (USA) and Rui Reis in Univ.

Minho (Portugal).

Futuristic ScenariosUniv. of Toronto

scientists create

antibodies with enormous

potential for regenerative

medicine. Our body

makes antibodies to fight

infections. But the

synthetic versions of

these molecules could

hold the key to

stimulating the body's

ability to regenerate. The

findings come from a

decade-long

collaboration between

teams. +info

Regenerative

MedicineAdvanced therapy refers to new medical products that use gene therapy,

cell therapy, and tissue engineering. In recent years, regenerative

advanced therapies research has increased under CRISPR/Cas9

advancements.

[1] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/regenerativemedicine

[2] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/regenerativeadvanced

Number of records in Regenerative Medicine [1]

Number of records in Advanced Therapies for Regenerative Medicine [2]

When looking at the aggregated set of data Linknovate has collected for

regenerative medicine, academia makes up for 75% of all active organizations since

2010, while corporations represent less than 6%. However, 4 out of 10 of the most

active organizations are big pharma companies, which are collaborating with Unis.

and SMEs in academic research and innovation grants.

Harvard is the leading university in regenerative medicine, mostly in tissue

engineering.

Novartis explores gene delivery to study stem cells for regenerative medicine

purposes.

Most active organizations in Regenerative Medicine [1]

Highlights

Researchers have identified or designed senolytic compounds that can curb

aging by regulating senescent cells. The most promising ones are rapamycin,

metformin, and nutraceuticals and NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide).

Cellular Senescence is also targeted at cancer therapy, with approximately half of

research grants awarded to this aim.

The Netherlands Cancer Institute has received €2,8M from the EC to develop a

senescence therapy for cancer. First inducing senescence in cancer cells and

then killing those senescence cells. +info

The National Institutes of Health has also largely funded this research topic. It

stands out a $2,8M project awarded to Mayo Clinic that targets cellular

senescence to extend lifespan. +info

As for UK’s innovation grants, the University of Cambridge has received

£875.000 to explore if senescent cells are decisive in lung cancer initiation. +info

The face of promising research:

David Sinclair, co-director of the Paul F. Glenn

Center for the Biology of Aging, Harvard Medical

School. +info

Sebastian Grönke, researcher at Max-Planck

Institute for Biology of Ageing +info

Pekka Katajisto, biotechnology group leader at

Uni. of Helsinki. +info

Senescent cells appear to be one of the root causes of aging. They

secrete a mix of molecules that triggers chronic inflammation,

damages the surrounding tissue structures, and changes the

behavior of nearby cells for the worse.

Futuristic Scenarios

Senolytics: how a new pill could spell the end of ageing

An emerging – and highly anticipated – area of anti-ageing

medicine. If the studies continue to be as successful as hoped,

those who are currently middle-aged could become the first

generation of oldies who are youthful for longer. +info

Other promising research:

Francis Rodier, Univ. Montreal (Canada) +info

Masashi Narita, Group Leader in Univ.

Cambridge+info

(UK); Roel Goldschmeding , UMC Utrecht

(NL), and Nathan LeBrasseur, Mayo Clinic

(USA).

Cellular Senescence

& Life ExtensionSubtopics Senolytics and Metformin are the ones growing the most in

importance.

Number of records in Senolytics [1]

Number of records in Metformin research for Cellular Senescence [2]

[1] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/senolytics

[2] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/cellularsenescence

[3] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/orgcellularsenescence

Most active countries in Cellular Senescence [3]

Top Organizations in Cellular Senescence [3]

Cellular Senescence activity is mostly academic (unis. and research centers make

up for 91% of all organizations working on the topic). Only one company,

Bioventures makes it to the top ten. They have four patent applications for targeting

and selectively depleting senescent cells.

Highlights: AI to play a key role not only in discovery but in manufacturing data

Drug Discovery

Open Targets, launched in 2014, is a public-private partnership between EMBL’s

European Bioinformatics Institute, the Wellcome Sanger Institute, GSK, Biogen,

Takeda, Celgene and Sanofi. The aim is to transform drug discovery through the

systematic identification and prioritization of targets. +info

The EC has largely funded research in AI drug discovery. During 2019 two projects

stand out. MELLODY will demonstrate how the pharmaceutical industry can better

leverage its data assets to virtualize the Drug Discovery process with ML. And

LifeTime under FET Flagships, will develop technologies to redefine diagnosis and

pathology, and set new standards for mechanism-based drug discovery and disease

management for the 21st century.

Also in the UK, Benevolent AI is a UK-based AI company with pharmaceutical

discovery and clinical development capabilities. Have developed a ML-platform for

hypothesis generation and validation of drug discovery. Awarded Tech Pioneer by

WEF.

Drug Manufacture

The Univ. of Strathclyde has received a GTR grant to develop novel ML approaches

to learn from manufacturing data and create new knowledge that aids in crucial drug

manufacturing decisions. +info

The face of promising research:

Ian Dunham, Open Targets director. +info

Blair Johnston, researcher at Uni. of Strathclyde

+info

The pharmaceutical industry is facing challenges in sustaining

their drug development programs because of increased R&D

costs and reduced efficiency. Artificial Intelligence has shown

promising for boosting drug discovery, and robot automation

for drug manufacture.

Other promising research:

MIT researchers have developed a new way

to rapidly manufacture biopharmaceuticals

on demand. +info

Futuristic Scenarios

Pharmaceuticals like Eli Lilly and GlaxoSmithKline are

investing in automation with the hope of transforming drug

discovery from an enterprise where humans do manual

experiments to one where robots handle thousands of

samples around the clock. +info

Source: Proclinical

Drug Discovery &

Manufacture using AIWhile big pharmas focus on drug discovery, SMEs have

found an opportunity in optimizing drug manufacture

Number of records in AI and ML for Drug Discovery [1]

Number of records in AI and ML for Drug Manufacture [2]

[1] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/AIMLDrugdiscovery

[2] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/AIMLDrugmanufacture

Top Organizations applying AI and ML for Drug Manufacture [2]

Top Organizations applying AI and ML for Drug Discover [1]

AI and ML algorithms can improve the efficiency of the drug development process.

In this sense, we observe collaborations of pharmaceutical industry giants with AI-

powered firms.

IBM has 23 related patent applications since 2010 for drug discovery. Among the

most interesting ones there is a method for predicting relevant drug targets and

mechanisms for adverse drugs reactions.

Regarding AI and ML-aided drug manufacture, Novartis is applying high throughput

screening techniques.

Highlighted: Private activity as well as public funding movements

NSF-funded RE-BIONICS aims to create biolectronic devices hat will mediate the

rapid and facile information exchange between biology and electronics. +info

In the UK, the Uni. of Nottingham has received a GTR grant to develop new

electrochemical based wireless technology, which may avoid invasive surgery and

will be applied to treating non-neuronal based diseases such as cancer. +info

EC -funded projects:

• Natural BionicS aims at creating a fully integrated, symbiotic replacement of

human limbs with robotic parts that the user will feel and command as part of the

body via spinal interfacing. +info

• BIONIC has the objective of developing body sensor networks and a platform for

real-time risk alerting and continuous coaching of ageing workers, in all types of

working and living environments. +info

• BionicVEST’s FETOpen project will develop a bionics vestibular implant for

bilateral vestibular dysfunction. +info

The face of promising research:

Hugh Herr, Biomechatronics group leader at the MIT Media

Lab. +info

Herman Van Der Kooij, prof. of Biomechatronics and

Rehabilitation Technology at Uni. of Twente. +info

Biologically-inspired robots have greater mobility and

flexibility than traditional robots and often possess sensory

abilities. Are often utilized to provide assistance to

accommodate a deficiency, either as fully-functioning robots

or highly advanced prosthetics

Other promising research:

As robots become more sophisticated and

embedded in our lives, Human-Robot

Interaction & Coordination (HRI&C) has

emerged as a sub-discipline that focuses

on the behavior and place of robots in

society. +info

Futuristic Scenarios

By 2030, humans will be regularly going into body shops

for bionic ‘upgrades’. +info

Biorobotics /

BionicsHuge exponential growth since 2018.

Number of records in Bionics [1]

Public Funding awarded to Bionics [1]

[1] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/bionics

[2] Source Linknovate: http://tiny.cc/orgbionics

Most active countries in Bionics [2]

Top Organizations in Bionics [2]

It stands out that the most active organizations working on bionics are companies

rather than academic institutions.

Ekso Bionics has a patent application for a verification (or enablement) routine in an

exoskeleton bionic device.

Microsoft’s activity in the topic is related to its applications in quantum computing,

and is collaborating with the University of California Santa Barbara in that regard.

Biomimetics subtrend

The MIT’s Biomimetic Robotics

lab has designed a cheetah

robot that is able to do a

backflip.